Courtney Thompson

Courtney Thompson is a 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist,  2012 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2014 FIVB World Champion, NCAA National Champion, University of Washington Alumni and Kent Native. She is recently retired from the USA Women's National Team.

Stats

Position: Setter

Hometown: Kent, Washington

Height: 5’ 7”

College: University of Washington

Give It Back: 

Children’s Therapy Center has been a big part of my family's life for as long as I can remember.  For over thirty years, my mom has worked at CTC as a pediatric physical therapist helping children who have disabilities or delays in their development. Serving thousands of families as a non-profit in the Seattle-Tacoma area, the Center has always felt like part of my extended family. 

As a young child, I loved visiting CTC with my mom on the weekends, playing on the balance swings, riding the scooter boards, and testing out all the cool ‘therapy’ toys, while she caught up on paperwork.  When I got a little older I graduated to being a therapy helper alongside my mom or one of the other therapists; either in the pool with kids during their aquatic therapy sessions, or helping therapists and parents motivate (i.e. entertain) their children during challenging activities.  Often, I would just play with the siblings of the children in therapy, so they felt special too.  As an adult living out of state, I stay involved by attending CTC fundraising events that help support the families and kids that attend CTC, and of course I always love dropping by the Center to say hi to my ‘CTC family’ when I’m back in Washington. 

My mom has been my hero for as long as I can remember, and a lot of that comes from seeing her passion and care for other people through her work at CTC.  Like all of her co-workers, my mom goes to work every day with the mission of helping families celebrate their beautiful children for exactly who they are, while guiding each child's development to reach their full potential.  The CTC staff empowers each family to recognize the hope, love, and opportunity that shape their future.  It has been incredible to see the impact of Children’s Therapy Center on so many kids and families over the years, and it continues to be a huge source of inspiration to me.  

The lessons that I learned from growing up as a ‘CTC kid’ have largely shaped the person I am today.  As an Olympic athlete, the concept of ‘celebrating what is, and committing to what can be’ is the foundation of what we strive to do every day.  Couple that with the belief that when you have knowledge and expertise in an area that can help people, the best thing you can do is to pass it on.  These influences fueled my inspiration to start the Give It Back Foundation, especially when we can link the impact on young women in the volleyball community with our platform to benefit organizations that have set the standard for being difference makers in their community. 

From its humble beginnings in 1979, operating in a small one-room office, CTC has grown to a vital service provider to thousands of children and families every year, with a growing number in need of financial scholarships for their therapy services.  It has been my dream to find a way help support the mission of Children’s Therapy Center. All of us at Give It Back Foundation are very excited about joining forces in helping CTC bring so much hope and love to families in the South Seattle/North Tacoma communities.

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